McKeesport Engine Roundhouse

Very nice pictures Marty. Looks like they have an extra switch track not in use. Isn't that always the case with railroaders? Can't figure where to fit it in.

I know someone posted a while back the UP fixing something like a double diamond with some other thing thrown into the mix. They had a camera film the work is high-speed so you could see everything going on in a short amount of time. The old stuff was cut out and the new prefabs popped in. It was really interesting.

Those are nice photographs.  I haven't been down that way recently -- it just isn't the same.......

SZ

Having gone to school in Pittsburgh in the mid-1960's, it isn't the same, thankfully.  It was still a pretty dirty city then with many steel mills and air you could cut with a knife. 

Marty,

What's the amusement park behind the building pics?

It's Kennywood Park in West Mifflin, PA outside of Pittsburgh as mentioned in the original post above the last picture.

Marty,

Nice photos.   Where in McKeesport is the engine house located? 

Bill

Google is your mapping friend

Center Street & Industry Road, McKeesport PA

@Jim Sandman posted:

Marty,

What's the amusement park behind the building pics?

Kennywood is the last remaining amusement park in Pittsburgh.  There was White Swan and Westview parks as well as Luna Park in the Oakland area.  There was even a roller coaster at the point at one time.  Originally it was what they called a trolley park.  Basically rides at the end of the trolley line.  In recent years the family owned business was sold.  I haven't been there in years.

A century plus ago trolley lines and river boat companies frequently constructed points of amusement or interest in an hard to reach area so as to develop ridership.   We had quite a few of them in the greater PA, NJ, DE tri-state area.

@richs09 posted:

Having gone to school in Pittsburgh in the mid-1960's, it isn't the same, thankfully.  It was still a pretty dirty city then with many steel mills........

Well, when I said "it isn't the same" I was referring to the railroading / railfan aspect -- see below for three more reasons, taken from the same bridge the same day.

.

  The environment might be better, as you point out, but as for everything else, I think that depends on one's experiences and hence viewpoint.  A lot of good paying jobs went away with those mills.......

SZ

Fantastic photos Marty!!! I love all the history.

Time marches on. Lament the past all you want, but it is what it is.

Just a few miles up the Monongahela River from McKeesport is the town of Donora, Pa. Between Oct 27 and Oct 31of 1948 smog from the mills in Pittsburgh and the coke ovens in Elizabeth combined to kill 20 people outright and sicken thousands more.

The 1948 Donora smog killed 20 people and caused respiratory problems for 7,000 people of the 14,000 population of Donora, Pennsylvania, a mill town on the Monongahela River 24 miles (39 km) southeast of Pittsburgh.

The prosperity created by the mills of the Pittsburgh area came with a sometimes heavy Human cost. Pittsburgh was filthy and had filthy air. The Donora event is what finally pushed Allegheny County (Pittsburgh) to outlaw the burning of coal for domestic heat and a rapid conversion to natural gas heat made it possible to see the Sun again as more than a bleary orb in the sky.

Thanks for the photos Marty. I grew up outside of Pittsburgh and the entire region holds a special place in my heart. We went to Kennywood annually for school picnics and my dads work trips.

Ask the workers at the Homestead mill in 1892 how great their "good paying mill job" were. Greed didn't exist in the glory days though

As a youngster, in the 1950-60's, I spent lots of summers in Western Pa. (Wilmerding & McKeesport and time at Kennywood) and never knew this still existed. My grandfather worked at National Tube in McKeesport.

Very cool. Thanks for sharing.

Tom

I used to make weekends from Camp LeJeune NC to McKeesport (long drive) with a friend that was from there. No point to this, I just haven't heard the name in years.

Thanks for the pics, Marty & SZ!! I miss the 'Burg  much!!

Wow I never thought this post would garner this much attention but I am happy I can bring back some memories for folks.  When I ride it is often near rail areas so I'll keep taking pics and if anything interesting comes up I'll be sure to post.

Here are a couple of shots from inside Kennywood. I took these a few years back while in the Phantom's Revenge station. The turquoise coaster track in the one image belongs to Phantom's Revenge. BTW, PR is a great coaster!

Chris

LVHR

I grew up on Youngstown, OH another former steel center about an hour from Pittsburgh.  We never thought of city as far as being covered in the dirt and grime but instead providing jobs that we thought would last forever.  While the town may have been "dirty", you could walk down nearly any street at 2am and not worry about being hurt or worse.  I loved all the different ethnic restaurants and great food, especially around the holidays. We call what has happened to this country "progress" but I would go back to the good old "industrial" days any time.  Things were pretty good in the area until '79 when Youngstown Sheet and Tube took a powder.

My wife grew up in a small mining town some 40 miles south of Pittsburgh, named Richeyville.  When I went there from VA a-courtin', back in the early 60s, in the winter you could choke on the coal smoke from all the house coal-burning furnaces, and a pall hung over the town.  Coal dust settled everywhere.  Then the miners switched to gas heat.  One can breathe now.  As to jobs. a lot of the miners died young; those who didn't got black lung.  Those good old days included a company store (Pittsburgh Mercantile).

@Cadillac Mike posted:

.... but I would go back to the good old "industrial" days any time. .....

You mean like this ?

@Steinzeit posted:

  SZ

SZ,

I have never seen this consist before. Do you have any information about it?

Bryce

@Oscale_Trains_Lover_ posted:

SZ,

I have never seen this consist before. Do you have any information about it?

Bryce

This was one of the initial consists for the B&O Pittsburgh-Versailles commuter operation after Port Authority Transit, PAT, started subsidizing it in 1975 and termed it the PATtrain service.  The other consist was an RDC formation;  both were replaced by the two F unit pushpull sets with the coaches rebuilt and in the brown-orange cream scheme, both of which went to CT's Shore Line East service.  The cars were ex C&O coaches numbered in the [ higher ] 1600's, built by PS in 1950;  the paint scheme is similar to the one PAT used on its buses and trolleys, and the cars were named after online communities [ "Borough of Versailles" etc ].  On weekend the cars were often used on Fall Foliage and other excursions run on the B&O out of Pittsburgh;  during the transition period the F's could run with the unrebuilt cars, sans heat*.  Here's some additional photos from that era;  if you have any specific questions, I'll try to answer them.

SZ

*Edited to add:  That is, if both F's were used;  usually there was an F at one end and a boiler GP at the other.

@Steinzeit posted:

This was one of the initial consists for the B&O Pittsburgh-Versailles commuter operation after Port Authority Transit, PAT, started subsidizing it in 1975 and termed it the PATtrain service.  The other consist was an RDC formation;  both were replaced by the two F unit pushpull sets with the coaches rebuilt and in the brown-orange cream scheme, both of which went to CT's Shore Line East service.  The cars were ex C&O coaches numbered in the [ higher ] 1600's, built by PS in 1950;  the paint scheme is similar to the one PAT used on its buses and trolleys, and the cars were named after online communities [ "Borough of Versailles" etc ].  On weekend the cars were often used on Fall Foliage and other excursions run on the B&O out of Pittsburgh;  during the transition period the F's could run with the unrebuilt cars, sans heat.  Here's some additional photos from that era;  if you have any specific questions, I'll try to answer them.

SZ

Thank you for all the info SZ, I never knew any of this. That color scheme is really unique and your photos are fantastic.

You learn something new every day!

Bryce

the loss of the industrial capability of that area is sad.    I grew up in western PA also and the small towns everywhere were prosperous, the houses and yards well kept, and business districts vibrant.   now when  you drive through Ambridge or Aliquippa, most of the business are second hand stores or boarded up.   and friends there have warned me about drugs and dangerous areas that used to be "Nice".

A separate note, for one  of the PRRT&HS conventions, the society published a book about the Mon Valley feeding into Pittsburgh.    One surprising fact I remember is that the author stated that more industrial tonnage, came out of the Mon Valley during WW II than was produced by the Axis Powers combined.

@Steinzeit posted:

Well, when I said "it isn't the same" I was referring to the railroading / railfan aspect -- see below for three more reasons, taken from the same bridge the same day.

.

  The environment might be better, as you point out, but as for everything else, I think that depends on one's experiences and hence viewpoint.  A lot of good paying jobs went away with those mills.......

SZ

Steinzeit, you are correct....I remember people *****ing about the air in my home town of Louisville Ky as a Kid growing up in the Industrial West End. I had a paper route, and at that age in my early teens i understood what heavy Industry did for our town and community....I remember out collecting one evening, and an elder woman answering my ring at her door, say oooh what is that smell out there, and I told her it was the smell of money....I remember her looking at me like I was Nutz.......